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Fantastic Soap Store! xx

Yes, guys...I am going to make all of you who live nowhere near Otley jealous again with yet another review of a lovely shop there! I find Otley can be overlooked quite a bit, as along the main street stores are closing and it seems to be lined with charity shops! Not that I have anything against charity shops, but when you are looking for some gifts or treats, Otley is not the place most people think of. However, I hope with my reviews of places like The Traditional Sweet Shop and The Pink Teapot, I am helping you change your opinion? Maybe...

~*Never Heard Of It Before!*~

Well, you have good reason for that, my friend, as it's fairly new, it came just before Christmas 2009! I'm not sure how long the store in Hebden Bridge has been there for, as I've never visited, but I am positive that the company is relatively new. But once you decide to visit... you will never be able to drag yourself away!!

~*What Is It??*~

Well, The Yorkshire Soap Company is a company based in Yorkshire that specialises in making soaps! No, I'll explain properly in as much detail I can, but to be honest I don't know much about it's history and the website is very basic and doesn't give much information about this. But The Yorkshire Soap Company is a small independent retailer, and I must admit I like the fact that it is - after all, who would want loads of shops the same on every single high street in the country? I like the fact that it there are only two of them in the whole of the world, however I do feel sorry for you Southerners and the rest of you, who aren't from round here! However, they are 'currently working hard on their new soap bakery website and online soap patisserie', so some of you may be able to get it delivered to you soon! Fingers crossed, yes?

~*Where Is It??*~

Well, after this section the review will almost purely be based around the Otley shop, because as previously mentioned I have never been to the Hebden Bridge store. However I have found out it is located on Market Street in Hebden Bridge. The Otley store is on Market Street in Otley - confusing, I know. I'm guessing they are separate Market Streets rather than one large Market Street that stretches right across the town. If your not sure where Market Street in Otley is, if you get to the bus station and walk down past the Beauty Box, it is near the pet store and The Silk Sisters. If you can't find it, just ask somebody!

~*The Look Of The Store*~

The store is a beautiful boutique! On the outside it is painted a pale blue colour, there is a lovely display in one of the big windows. You can also see the products through the window...which really entices you in! There is also a bubble machine by the door, which is really fun and I have seen many people highly amused and entertained by it, popping bubbles to their hearts content! When you get inside the boutique you see it is very small, which is unfortunate, but it is still lovely. They have cheerful music playing in the store, and a pretty Welcome sign hangs on the wall above the till. In the middle of the boutique is a table where soap 'cakes' are presented on platters and cake tiers. It looks stunning and the soaps actually look so realistic - definitely good enough to eat! The cakes are cut into even slices, and you can get many different scents and designs...my sister loves one that looks exactly like a child's birthday cake - pink icing and yellow sponge... and each slice comes complete with a pretty candle! I love them all, however! When you walk in the door, to the right of you will be a chest of drawers, and in the drawers will be loads of types of bath ballistics. I find this quite fun as you have to open all the drawers to see which bath bombs are where and if the drawers even have anything in! On top of this chest are some tiered cake platters holding little soaps and bath truffles. On some shelves next to the drawers there is a selection of beautiful handmade soaps (I will get into more detail of the products themselves later). On the main wall (opposite the doorway) there is the main selection of products, such as bath salts, rubber ducks, body creams, more handmade soaps and a selection of gift boxes. The till is on a glass cabinet, and inside the cabinet are bath 'creamers'. There is also a stand of lip glosses and another of some example creamers. Overall, the boutique is beautiful and very welcoming. So, the layout and presentation is definitely a 10/10 !

~*The Products Themselves*~

The products are either homemade by the owner, or stocked from Bomb Cosmetics. I only know this because I have bought products from the Bomb Cosmetics websites - and stalls when I see them in markets and the likes - and I can spot a Bomb product a mile off! I asked the owner and he confirmed that they were.

~*Bath Bombs*~

Well, they are commonly known as bath bombs by us lot, but it seems like every store has a different name for them; at Lush they are bath ballistics, at M&S they are bath fizzers and at Bomb they are bath blasters! The blasters are absolutely gorgeous from Bomb, and I love the fact that instead of ordering them online, I can just hop on a bus to my local Soap Company! The bath blasters are made entirely by hand at Bomb, which is brilliant, as I don't like the processed and machine made types of cosmetics, and they only use "simple ingredients and the finest essential oils". They don't use artificial binders, and they set naturally which is brilliant! The bombs themselves have been tried and tested by your very own bath-product-addict (me!) many a time, and I find them an excellent quality. When I drop them into my bath they fizz beautifully and fill the whole room with their gorgeous fragrances. And as I have mentioned how natural they are, I can enjoy my bath with no worries whatsoever! As the owner of the YSC just stocks them in when he likes, the stock he has varies, however there are always loads of lovely products to choose from! All of the bath blasters are £2.50 from The Yorkshire Soap Company, which is the same price they were when I bought them off a stall at Harewood House, but most are cheaper on the website. They are, however, cheaper than many ballistics at Lush and such places. I think the price is very reasonable. ~*Top Bath Blasters At The Yorkshire Soap Company*~They have different names at the shop than they do at the Bomb website, but I can't remember them all for the shop! I have used them from the Bomb website, but I promise I have only included ones I have bought from the Yorkshire Soap Company!Look them up on the website to see what they look like, then buy them at the YSC!*Sink The PinkSweet and girly, but fresh as well. Scented with jasmine, bergamont, vanilla and redberry.*Fresh BerryExtremely strong scented, and very pretty to look at! Smells of raspberry and vanilla - beautiful!*Butter BerryI bought this as a present for my sister for Christmas, amongst other things, and she loved it! It is known as simply "Strawberry" at the store, and I suppose now you can guess what it smells of? Also has a hint of cranberry and some cocoa butter chips thrown in.

~*Bath Truffles*~

Known as Cocoa Butter Melts on the Bomb website, most of them are ordered from them, however the owner has tried his hand at making his own "truffles" and they are just as good, if not better, than the ones he has ordered in (and no, I don't know the owner on a personal level, I just know him through chatting to him when buying products!). These all contain moisturising vegetable butters and essential oils - so they are great for your skin! They are also very natural and are also rolled by hand and contain 'real' ingredients, such as petals, cocoa shavings etcetera. The truffles are my favourite bath product. In my opinion they are way better than the blasters, although some may disagree as the blasters are more 'exciting'. I understand that, but I prefer the luxury of these truffles, and the fact they have a stronger fragrance to them. They are quite small, but extremely effective! They are only £2 each, which I think is good, although some may not! There are so many to choose from, all gorgeous, and I have made it my goal to try them all! ~*Top Bath Truffles*~*VanillaThis is very simple, and obviously scented with vanilla, but very luxurious. I recommend it when you want to get a good nights sleep.*Raspberry Ripple Vanilla and raspberry scented, with real coconut shavings on top. Also scented with ylang ylang and lavender.*Rhubarb & CustardOne of the owners hand made truffles, it smells absolutely gorgeous and looks beautiful too, with a decorative flower on top!

~*Soaps*~

The main product of the shop, obviously! They are made in the owners soap making place where he lives, and are all natural. The soaps are all handmade so the types you can get are always changing, but these are the types I can think of at the moment...First there are the basic soaps - they are a square shape and come in a range of designs, colours and scents.Each slab costs £3, and lasts for ages. Then there are the soaps stacked in the middle of the store. They are beautiful! They are made like little slices of cake and are decorated with different colours, glitter, candles...It's fantastic! I love the 'Chocolate Truffle' slice and the birthday cake slice with the candle. Most of them have an exfoliating base, as well as being very moisturising for the skin. They cost £4.50 each, but I assure you they are great quality and last a long time - well worth the price. There are some 'cakes' on the tier that look like little buns with masses of whipped cream on them (it isn't whipped cream, but I thought it was until I touched it - it looks so real!). They are five pounds each, and my lovely friend bought me one for Christmas (it has a little holly decoration on it - how sweet) so I thanked him a lot. I have yet to use it yet but it is making my bedroom smell gorgeous, plus it is a little extra decoration! There are other soaps, such as the Raspberry Tart for £4.50, which literally looks like a little raspberry tart - and smells divine! The only problem is that they look so nice I am scared to use them!

~*Other Products*~

Other products include bath salts, rubber ducks (aww!) and some lovely ice cream body washes, as well as many others. I find them all to be fairly priced and I love them all!

~*Staff*~

The man who owns the store is very friendly and kind - that's how I know so much about the products! - he is always up for a chat and is sure to explain how to use and look after the products, ever since one customer shoved some bath truffles next to a radiator and then complained when they melted! He also has a lovely kind assistant who is equally nice!

~*Queues*~

The only bad thing about the boutique! Because they gift wrap everything in either little cardboard boxes with 'The Yorkshire Soap Company' printed on them, or in cellophane bags and purple ribbon, and add that to the fact that people have to choose bath truffles at the till, and to the fact that everyone in this shop seems to be extremely chatty, and to the fact that it is a very small shop, and voilà - you have queues out the door - literally!

~*Stock*~

As most things are handmade here, they sometimes run out, which is unfortunate, but it cant be helped as the man really does try his hardest - he was telling me he is up till three in the morning most of the time trying to make soaps and replenish his stock!

~*Overall*~

I hate it. Ha - seriously, from this review you can see how obsessed I am with it; it is even overtaking my Lush obsession (the Ciao nation gasps in horror!). No, honestly, I love it - it is natural, friendly and just gorgeous! Why not go visit yourself? And tell him you heard about it from a review on Ciao - that should please him - free advertising!! It deserves it though, I love this shop and think everyone should know about it!